Factors influencing demand for private supplementary tuition in public secondary schools in Kitui Central District

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the factors that influence demand for private supplementary tuition in public secondary schools of Kitui Central District. The objectives of the study were to determine the extent to which nature of examinations, pressure from peers, teachers' conduct, household factors and school based factors influence demand for private tuition. The study intends to create more insight into the phenomenon of private tuition in public schools. Descriptive survey design was used in carrying out this study.

The target population was all the 25 public secondary schools in Kitui Central District and 196 teachers with an estimated 6500 students. A sample was selected using simple random sampling procedure. A total of 52 teachers was selected,13 schools and 260 students. Questionnaires were used for teachers and students as the data collection tools while headteachers were interviewed. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages. This was done by use of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software packages.

The study established that the practice of private tuition is carried out in all the public secondary schools where the research was carried out.The study also established that private tuition in public secondary schools is mainly caused by stiff competition to succeed in National examinations and the important role that society attaches to examinations.It also identified peer pressure on bothparents and students as well as lack of facilities and teachers in schools as other factors fuelling this practice.On the measures which should be employed to address the problem,the respondents make an appeal to the Ministry of Education to improve on the nature of exams to ensure that they test all skills and not just cramming skills.

Schools should also be equipped and more teachers posted to deal with the problem of understaffing since lack of enough teachers was cited as one of the factors fuelling the practice of private tuition in public secondary schools. It is recommended that a similar study be done across the country in order to help the government formulate policy in dealing with private tuition in public secondary schools.